World of the Dead [REWRITING]

Well, I believe that is all the time we have today, said Howard. There was a soft rustle of paper. It is currently five pm, and I bet that many of you have lots of things to do to get through tonight. Thank you all once again for listening, and I very much hope that I get to speak with you next week. And as always treat those you meet with kindness, if it is safe to do so of course. God speed and goodnight.

There was a click, then the hiss of static filled the apartment. It felt empty now without Howard's calm voice, without his occasional quiet comment or chuckle at what he read. It reminded Quinn of her English class. Mr. Rios's habit of rambling during the readings wasn't something she thought she'd miss. But now? She'd give a lot to hear them again. We didn't even get to finish The Time Machine in class. I wonder how it ended. 

Spencer reached out and flicked off the radio, sending the apartment into total silence. Quinn wasn't sure what to say. I guess being occupied by zombies and all makes it harder to be awkward, she thought. He looked like he was feeling the same way as he shifted and fidgeted with the knobs of the turned off radio.

I mean, we don't know each other. Like at all. Maybe he's worried now that I'll try something. If that were the case, Quinn thought it was a little funny. Both of them worried that the other would stab them in the back. What fun times to live in.

He suddenly stood up, stretching his arms above his head. "Welp," he said. "I'm calling it a night. Kinda funny how once everything that needs doing is done it gets boring huh?" he laughed, though it sounded somewhat forced.

Quinn cracked an uncertain smile. "Yeah. Lots of waiting, that's for sure."

Once again, they fell into an uncomfortable silence. 

He cleared his throat. "Well, uh, I'll be in my room. Feel free to stay up later. Just, don't use the radio. I only got so many batteries, you know? And make sure to keep the noise down." He started to head to the hall where the bedrooms are. "So, yeah. Goodnight."

He noticeably quickened his step to get to his room faster. She didn't feel offended at his hasty retreat though. If the roles were reversed, she'd definitely act the same. 

Standing as well, Quinn looked around the apartment. It was dimmer now that the sun was starting to set. The blinds covering the windows let in thin streams of orange sunlight, giving only a little extra visibility. Moving over to the middle window, she noticed how some blinds were broken off in very specific ways that would allow anyone inside an easy view of the street below. As she peered through, she watched as the shadows of cars and the buildings stretched as the sun slowly set. There were a few zombies plodding around and bumping into each other or vehicles.

She wondered if Spencer did that on purpose. It would make sense; he'd be able to see what was going on down below without having to open or pull apart the blinds in way that would look obvious to anyone looking at the windows. 

Stepping back, she went into the kitchen to put her food away in the cupboards. It was strange. After weeks of taking things out of people's cabinets she was now putting things in. Like she had finished grocery shopping or something. A familiar activity but still pretty weird now. Especially since this wasn't her house.

After scribbling her name onto a sticky note and slapping it onto her designated shelf, she found herself with nothing to do. There were books, but it was too dark and she didn't want to use a flashlight. She stood there for a while, trying to decide what to do.

Finally, she followed Spencer's lead. Out of habit she checked the front door to make sure it was locked. It was silly considering she had watched Spencer do it and there was a chair in front of it. But a little voice in her head would not stop nagging her until she reached out and gave the knob a slight jiggle to really double check. She didn't bother with the windows though. If a zombie somehow managed to clamber three stories up to break through one, she figured they'd have way bigger problems to deal with.